Chicken & Cheese Baked Taquitos

 Taquitos are one of Hazel's favorite meals but I continuously struggle to master them and make them crunchy enough while still baking vs. frying. Last night, I finally found a method that works for us!  We like chicken & cheese taquitos and also plain cheese taquitos.  I think we'd probably like lots of other fillings, but these are the easiest to make! I made 20 taquitos and this was sufficient for our family of 5. I used the method from this recipe but a different filling.

Ingredients:

3 Cups cooked shredded chicken

2 T Olive Oil

1 T garlic powder (or to taste)

1 T salt

2 Cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

20 small corn tortillas

Cooking Spray

Salsa, guac, sour cream for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 large baking trays with foil and generously spray with cooking spray.  Place tortillas on the trays, only slightly overlapping if need and spray with more cooking spray. Bake for 4 minutes to make them soft and pliable. 

2. Meanwhile, toss chicken with garlic powder, salt and olive oil until the mixture is a little bit wet and well seasoned.  Feel free to add other seasonings that your family enjoys.

3. When the tortillas are ready, flip them over into a stack so the sprayed side is facing out.  Re-spray the cookie sheets if they look dry.  Put 2T of chicken and cheese in each tortilla. we also made some just cheese. Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down on the prepared tray. 

4. Spray the tortilla tops with cooking spray and sprinkle on a little bit of salt, if you like. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn taquitos to crisp the other side and add more salt on top if needed.  Bake an additional 10 minutes.  Serve with salsa or guac or sour cream!

Chicken ‘Shawarma’ Bowls with Homemade Hummus

I want to branch out my family dinners from meat, potatoes and pasta to something else. So on Monday I prepped and prepped and on Tuesday I whipped up dinner in 10 minutes!  I highly recommend this meal.  I took it from Cooking Light and then changed everything..so I'm going to claim this as my own recipe. Bonus - You get my mom's delicious hummus recipe too!

Ingredients:

Hummus
1 15oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
2 t olive oil (more to taste)
2 T sesame seeds
1/4 t cumin
1/2 t salt
pepper
1/2 large lemon (more to taste)

1 clove garlic


Chicken Shawarma Bowls
1/4-1/2 C cooked chicken per person - I used poached chicken or you can use rotisserie, chopped or shredded
Couscous - I used Far East Parmesan, this takes max 8 minutes to make!
Chopped cucumbers
chopped tomatoes
Hummus
Half Lemon
Olive Oil

Directions - Hummus
1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend. If it's too thick add more olive oil or lemon juice to taste
2. Chill and if you want sprinkle with paprika to serve

Directions Shawarma Bowls:
1. Make Couscous according to box directions
2. Put couscous on the bottom of the bowl and add cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken and hummus on top.  Squeeze lemon juice and a dash of olive oil
Enjoy!

Roast Chicken & Oven Fries

We recently discovered the best roast chicken recipe and we make it nearly twice a month now! Whole chickens are usually cheap $3-5 and feed as many people. This recipe takes a little advance planning but it's worth it! This time I served it with oven fries because I needed to use up some potatoes.

Ingredients

Chicken:
 1 whole chicken rinsed and patted dry
Kosher salt
1/2 orange
1/2 onion or 3 shallots

Special equipment:
Metal rack that fits in rimmed baking sheet
Refrigerator space for the above
8-24 hours

Fries (cut the potatoes day of)
1 small russet potatoes per person, cut into matchsticks
1 T olive oil per potato
Salt
cooking spray
foil

Directions:
1. 8-24hrs before you want to cook your chicken dry it off, truss the legs and rub salt all over the chicken. Use a lot of salt, don't worry, you will rinse before you cook!
2. Place the chicken on a metal rack over the rimmed baking sheet and put it in the refrigerator for 8-24hours- the longer the better.

----
3. Preheat the oven to 450
4. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Then place back on the rack
5. Stuff the chicken cavity with half onion and oranges
6. Bake the Chicken 40-50 minutes or until juices run clear and cooked through (just use a thermometer). Let rest 5 minutes before carving.

7. Meanwhile toss the potato matchsticks with olive oil and lay them on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
8. Toss with salt and spread fries flat
9. The fries take about 25-30 minutes so put them in when you are about 30 minutes into your chicken cooking.
10. Serve the chicken with hot fries.

Chicken Tortilla Stew

The other day I had plans for dinner but needed to have something available for my family. I decided to make a chicken tortilla soup and some poached chicken - two birds...

The resulting soup from this recipe is more of a stew as much of the broth disappeared. This is flavorful but not spicy. I recommend this super quick dish for your family!

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 14oz can chopped fire roasted tomatoes
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes
4 Cups chicken broth
salt & pepper
1 t chipotle chili powder
1 t ancho chili powder
1/2 t cumin
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1 T vegetable oil
juice 1/2 lemon or 2 limes
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

For serving - Tortilla chips, cheese, avocado, more limes

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pot and add onion, cook until softened.
2. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more
3. add everything else except chicken, lemon and cilantro
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer
5. Add chicken and simmer 20 minutes
6. Remove chicken, cut or shred 2 chicken pieces
7. With the other chicken pieces cut and reserve for another use (aka for your toddler! They weren't spicy at all)
8. Add chicken, lemon juice and cilantro back in. Simmer 5 minutes
9. Serve

Crispy Roasted Chicken Thighs

Last night we had to make some chicken that we had been defrosting for a few days. Joey decided to opt out of chicken and eat leftovers. I decided to make all the chicken for myself! And it was wonderful!  The skin was crispy, the flavor was spot on and while I made three large thighs I was having trouble not eating all of them!


Ingredients
bone-in chicken thighs (1-2 thighs per person)
olive oil
lemon pepper
salt
rosemary
potato (1 medium red or yellow potato per person)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425
2. On a rimmed backing sheet rub olive oil onto the skin of the chicken. Sprinkle with salt, lemon pepper and rosemary.
3. IMPORTANT: Wipe all excess olive oil off the tray. Don't be like me and boil the oil in the oven and then set off the smoke alarm and wake the baby.
4. Slice the potato into thin slices, toss with olive oil, salt and lemon pepper and place on one side of the tray
5. Bake for 25-35 minutes until juices run clear when chicken is pierced
6. Eat the skin first.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Red Wine and Cherries

Joey and I went to Costco this weekend and bought one of those 6 packs of chicken to put in the freezer. We left one pack out and I was immediately craving braised chicken thighs. We had some red wine we've been wanting to use up and finally had the opportunity!  I revised this recipe from this similar one I posted back in 2008. This new recipe, however was MUCH more flavorful and loved by the whole family!  It also doesn't take too long to make. 30 minutes total and it would be less if all your chicken was comparable size.

Serves 4 or 2 really hungry people

4 bone-in skinless chicken thighs (you can always remove the skin yourself)
2 C red wine
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 C dried cherries
salt & pepper
Mashed Potatoes for serving (I used Fresh & Easy heat and serve)
1 T olive oil
1/2 T flour

Directions
1. Salt & Pepper chicken and remove skin if necessary.
2. In a large pan with a lid (such as a dutch oven), heat olive oil. Add chicken and brown for 6-8 minutes a side.
3. Once chicken is brown, remove to a plate. Add onion to the pot and cook for 3-5 minutes until brown.
4. Add flour and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring 30 seconds.
5. Add wine to the pot and place chicken thighs in the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and cook 6-8 minutes until chicken is opaque. Stir in cherries and simmer 1 minute.
6. Serve chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes (or polenta is probably good too)

Homemade Chicken Stock turned Chicken Soup

AA couple of weeks ago my friends from work came over bearing roast chicken and pasta.  We froze the carcasses for stock assuming we would never consider making such a thing. Then all of a sudden we decided to actually try it! We have been spending lots of time at home so it kind of made sense. The soup was good so I think that is all due to the great stock, however, it's a lot of time for not too much output. If you go down this path...well you can still make soup with canned broth.

Chicken Stock:
Did not make enough for soup but, then again I didn't add more water when it burned off because honestly I wasn't anywhere near the pot of stock while it was simmering for the entire 4 hours.

Ingredients:
2 chicken carcasses
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 T peppercorns
3 sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 T olive oil
Enough water to cover the chickens

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the carrots, celery onion and garlic and cook about 8 minutes until softened and fragrant
2. Add chicken carcasses, peppercorns and thyme. Add water to cover the chickens.
3. Bring to a boil, skim off foam (may be gray), reduce heat to a simmer, cover. Simmer 4 hours+.
Supposedly you should stir every so often and also add more water when it boils off. I didn't do that so the output was small.
4. Strain stock into another pan or containers. Use right away or freeze for 3 months.

Chicken and Barley Soup:
This soup was pretty good, these quantities served 4 people along with salad and biscuits with a tiny bit leftover that could be boosted with some chicken broth for another serving.

Ingredients:
6 carrots, chopped in bite-sized pieces
6 celery ribs, chopped in bite-sized pieces
1/2 large onion, ""
6 sprigs thyme + 3 sprigs fresh oregano tied in a bundle
Salt
Pepper
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped in bite-sized pieces
1 can chicken broth + all the stock you made
1 C barley (before preparation, this was actually a lot of barley so you could make less)

Directions:
1. In a large pot, combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the barley. Don't worry, the chicken WILl cook.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover partially, simmer for one hour
3. In another small pot make barely according to package directions
4. Just before serving, add the barley to the soup. If you make the barley in the soup it will soak up all your hard work liquid.

Chicken & Noodles

This afternoon my friends and I met to discuss "The Personal History of Rachel DuPree" and eat. Unfortunately, this book was all about not eating so I had to be creative with the food served but I wanted to keep it Pioneer-like.  I decided on a simple meal of Chicken & Noodles. Chicken & Noodles is something I have most had experience with in Indiana. Traditionally, the noodles are made from scratch and the whole thing is served over mashed potatoes and sometimes a biscuit. That seemed a little excessive...On the second day the broth is all soaked up by the noodles so it becomes more of a casserole than soup.  I served this the first day* so it was more of a dumpling soup.  Still delicious--mashed potatoes weren't missed.

*Technically I made the soup the day before but I didn't add the noodles (which soak up the broth) until the next day so it was still soupy.



Chicken Soup

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 box chicken stock (24 oz)
2 cans chicken broth
1 T herbs de Provence
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t turmeric
1 t salt
5 grinds black pepper
3 carrots, chopped or cut into coins
2 celery stalks cut into half moons
3 inner celery stalks with leaves chopped
1 batch dumpling noodles (recipe to follow)
1 1/2 C pasta water from making noodles

1. Place chicken pieces and all the spices in a large dutch oven and cover in stock--if chicken isn't all the way covered add some broth until it is covered.
2. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (this is called poaching chicken)
3. Meanwhile, chop the vegetables
4. When chicken is cooked, remove chicken from broth and set aside.  Add vegetables to the pot and cook 10-15 minutes on medium
5. When chicken is cool enough to touch, shred with your hands or two forks
6. Add chicken back in and add broth if you think broth is low.  Heat 5 minutes then remove from heat and let cool and refrigerate overnight (unless you are having it today, then just turn off the heat until the pasta is ready).

Dumpling Noodles from here
2 1/2 C flour
2 eggs
1/2 C milk
1 t salt
1 T butter, melted

1. In a large bowl combine flour and salt.  In a medium bowl combine eggs, milk and butter. Whisk until just combined.
2. Pour egg mixture into a well in the middle of the flour and stir until just combined
3. Turn  out on a floured surface and knead 5 minutes until smooth
4. Place dough back in the bowl and cover in plastic wrap. Let sit 15 minutes
5. Turn out the dough onto floured surface and roll as thin as you can go--aim for 1/4 inch. If it starts springing back step away for a few minutes and come back and try again.
6. Use a pie crimper or knife or something to cut into long strips
7. Place cut noodles on a cooling rack and let sit while you boil the water
8. Boil water in a large pan. When water is boiling add 1 t +  of salt. Cook noodles 5 minutes until they taste like pasta.
9. Reserve 1 1/2 C pasta water. Drain noodles
10. Add noodles to the soup along with reserved pasta water and heat soup until warm. Serve today as soup and Serve tomorrow over mashed potatoes...if you dare.

Inside out Stuffed Chicken

Roasted chicken is one of my favorite comfort foods. Unfortunately, it is not my husband's. So I make it less than I would like to. Last night, I finally had the chance to make a recipe I saw on the Everyday Food video blog. This recipe is delicious and you should make it tonight! Basically, you cut up some bread and vegetables and lay them on a tray, the "stuffing" then you place the chicken on top and some of the bread gets soft and some of the bread gets crispy and everything sticks to the pan and it's really tasty!

The pictures/video are pretty helpful for me. I watched the video a couple of times and then didn't refer to the recipe at all for the making of it. I also did a terrible butchering job of my chicken so I only used drumsticks, thighs and wings.  I cut my apples too small - cut them bigger cause they are in the oven a long time. Also I would use two apples if I were you. I used rosemary instead of caraway seeds.

Inside-Out Chicken & Stuffing
1 small loaf rustic bread (or use 9oz but I used more), cut into 2-inch chunks
2 apples, cut into smaller chunks but not too small
2 celery sticks cut into half moons
1 C chicken stock
salt
pepper
olive oil
4 sprigs rosemary
1 whole chicken cut up into pieces (or just use drumsticks and thighs)

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400
2. In a large rimmed baking sheet toss the bread, apple and celery with salt, pepper and oil (about 1 T), then spread out across the pan so it is relatively flat
3. Place bread in the oven and bake 10 minutes
4. Remove tray, pour chicken stock over bread and toss until it is absorbed
5. Nestle chicken pieces on top or next to bread, rub with oil on the skins (to make them brown) and salt & pepper. Add rosemary sprigs around the pan
6. Roast 25-35 minutes until chicken is cooked through and golden.
7. Serve with stuffing

Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets

Face it, you sometimes eat your kid's chicken nuggets. They're good! You know you're always buying the frozen variety to use in a pinch. Now here's your chance to make your own--and know exactly what goes inside.

Joey describes these chicken nuggets as the crispiest thing he's ever eaten. You don't even notice they aren't fried!  The chicken inside is juice and delicious, the outside is flavorful and the novelty of making mini chicken bites at home never gets old. This is a great recipe for kids to help with too! Get out your favorite dipping sauce folks!


Ingredients
(I made 20 nuggets with this list of ingredients, the original recipe with the same portions makes 12...)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 eggs
1 C panko bread crumbs (found in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores)
1/2 C flour
1/3 C parmesan cheese, shredded
1 t vegetable oil (the recipe actually calls for 1 T but I only used 1 t and it worked fine)
coarse salt
cooking spray
your favorite dipping sauce - we used bbq sauce
3 shallow bowls
1 cooling rack that fits (or generally fits, mine fits slanted) into a rimmed baking sheet

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the panko in one layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.  Pour into a shallow bowl. Add cheese, 1/2 t salt and oil and stir to combine slightly
2. Salt the chicken on both sides and then cut the chicken breasts in half and then into nugget sized pieces, set aside
3. Pour the flour into a shallow bowl. Pour the eggs into a separate shallow bowl and whisk to break the yolks and combine slightly
4. Spray the cooling rack with cooking spray and set inside your rimmed sheet. Increase oven temperature to 450.
5. Set up your dipping station--chicken, bowl of flour, bowl of egg, bowl of panko mixture, pan. Dip chicken into flour and shake to remove excess, then eggs *shake*, then panko and set on the rack.  I used tongs to do this so my hands wouldn't get all gross but it was slow going--this is the most time consuming part of the recipe.
6. When all chicken is coated, bake for 12 minutes, turning nuggets halfway through.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauce!

Watch the video for an even better idea of how to make this super simple dish!

Citrus Marinated Chicken

On Saturdays, I make a stop at Sprouts Farmer's Market part of my morning errands.  Sprouts is kind of like Whole Foods with their organic brands and bulk bins, but cheaper and not as fancy.  I love the produce there--it is so reasonably priced and on sales you sometimes get deals as wonderful as the Mexican markets.

Last Saturday, I went to Sprouts for oranges (well actually I wanted to see if blood oranges were available and the actual farmer's market hardly had any farmers hopefully due to the holiday) but I went by the meat section too.  The meat sales at Sprouts are always fantastic.  The best part is you don't have to buy enough to feed an army to get the sale.  I left the store with loads of fruits and vegetables, and two different cuts of meat plus a variety of other items for around $20.  I bought 4 chicken drumsticks for $2 and two miniature steaks for less.

Unfortunately, this new year my cooking skills seem to have plummeted to an all time low.  My first meal of the year was an incredibly overcooked and ridiculously dry roast beef in the slow cooker.  There are many reasons that beef could have failed and I won't go into them, let's just end with we had pizza that night and we might try to put it in soup.

The second day of the new year I cooked the miniature steaks and crispy roasted potatoes.  The potatoes were almost perfect but the steaks were a tad over cooked and had to be doused in A1 sauce for moisture. To be fair, I was distracted by trivia questions being thrown at me while I was cooking.

So this third day, I decided to fall back on an actual recipe because that way at least I would have more people to blame if it failed.  The good news is that this day, this third day, the recipe worked and was delicious.

And I didn't even follow directions.  Why not you say? Well that's because I decided to make the recipe at 11pm and thought "of course I have those ingredients" when in fact I had 3/5/.  But the good news is that it still worked out and was rather delicious--with a dash of salt on top.  AND I grilled these little drumsticks to perfection too with very little help.

Adapted from this completely different recipe by The Pioneer Woman

Serves 2
Ingredients
4 Chicken Drumsticks
1 small grapefruit
1 orange
1 1/2 t olive oil
salt - I never add enough so I trust you will make a good decision
pepper - I don't really like pepper, I added 2 turns of the mill
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Directions
1. In the morning or at least a few hours before serving, prepare the marinade.
2. Juice the orange & grapefruit over a liquid measuring cup, reserve rinds. Add salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic.
3. Place drumsticks in a large ziploc bag and arrange fruit rinds inside.  Pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate until ready to grill
4. Heat the grill to 400. Turn off the middle burner and brown chicken on each side (there are 4) 3-4 minutes.
5. Once chicken is browned cook 10 minutes covered.  Check the chicken and turn it over and cook another 10 minutes OR possibly less.  The chicken should be about 160 degrees in the meatiest part.
6. Serve warm with vegetables

Salsa Marinated Chicken

I decided to marinate some chicken in salsa the other day in order to hopefully come out with a perfectly moist chicken with lots of flavor.  That..didn't happen.  The problem with the salsa lay in the inability for the marinade to soak into the meat.  It really just sat on top and flavored the top.  This marinade WOULD work if you added a little lime juice maybe a dash of oil--or you could just baste your chicken with salsa and serve it with salsa on the side.  But now you know if you're looking for a fast salsa-soaked dinner this is not the one.

The chicken was cooked perfectly though and had a nice light flavor--just not as much as I was imagining in my dreams.

Lighter Chicken Enchiladas

I like the occasional enchilada but I find the meat filled ones to be rather dry when eating htem at restaurants, as a result I always order cheese. However, when it comes to making them at home I have already tried cheese and they weren't a family favorite even with the thick red sauce from the jar. These enchiladas looked to be worth a try, and they're relatively good for you two as long as you stick to the careful measuring.
This recipe is from Martha Stewart's blog. I completely followed the recipe although I didn't do the rue quite right and didn't get as thick of a sauce as I wanted. You should serve these with beans and salsa. I didn't serve them with beans but I thought it would've been a good idea, I served them with bok choy, wrong ethnicity? Yes. Good vegetable choice? Passable.

I really liked the chicken enchiladas. I mean they certainly aren't traditional in any sense, but they have a nice taste, moist chicken and a satisfying belly-feel after only two enchiladas. They are also a possible make-after-work dinner. I revised the recipe only slightly with spices, recipe reposted below so you don't have to navigate through M.S. yourself.

Lighter Chicken Enchiladas

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (3-4 oz each)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 minced canned chipotles in adobo
• 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium fat free chicken broth
• 8 corn tortillas (6-inch)
• 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces)

Directions

1. In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, bring 1 inch salted water to a boil. Add chicken. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes; remove skillet from heat. Let chicken steam, covered, until opaque throughout, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer chicken to a medium bowl; shred with two forks. Set aside.
2. While chicken is cooking, make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add flour, cumin, chili powder, adobo sauce, and chipotles in adobo; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, whisking occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly, 5 to 8 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 cup sauce to bowl with chicken; toss to combine.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour 1/4 cup sauce into bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish; set aside. Stack tortillas, and wrap in a double layer of damp paper towels; microwave until hot, about 1 minute. Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture; roll up tightly, and arrange, seam side down, in baking dish. Cover with remaining sauce, and top with cheese. Bake until hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Citrus Roasted Chicken

On Sunday night I was going to make a complicated roast chicken recipe--but I never got around to it. Instead we went out and had Mexican due to some crazy indecision. But I would not let the chicken go to waste!

So Monday after work, I decided I'd make the chicken. Chicken only takes about an hour and a half to bake which sounds long but is really quite comparable to the time it takes to choose, drive to and order at restaurant. The problem was that this recipe wasn't a simple salt & pepper throw it in the oven chicken. This recipe had some chopping, a brushed on handmade marinade, the inside cavity stuffed. It was for all intents and purposes complicated to prepare the bird.

I adapted this recipe from what my sister in law calls the "best turkey she's ever had in her life." recipe. I might have taken a lot of shortcuts or I may have followed the recipe, but it was hard. In the end the chicken tasted like it had a bit of a citrus glaze, it was moist even in the white meat and it looked kind of pretty.

Citrus Marinated Roast Chicken

2 T butter, melted

2 lemons, zested and thinly sliced

1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs

1/4 C balsamic vinegar

1/4 C honey

1/8 C lemon juice

salt & pepper

1 onion, cut into cubes

4 celery stalks, sliced

4 carrots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2-3 bay leaves

1 small bunch thyme, tied

4 tiny apples or 1 large, cut into wedges

1 orange, cut into wedges

1/8 C orange marmalade

1. Stir together butter and zest. Attempt to separate the skin from the breast and legs area. Spread the butter-zest mixture under the skin, arrange lemon slices and then pull the skin back into place.

2. Mix together vinegar, honey and lemon juice, set aside

3. Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Brush the honey mixture all over the turkey and inside.

4. Preheat the oven to 425.

5. Spread the vegetables and spices on the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up on top and tie the legs.

6. Stuff the cavity with apples, oranges and leftover lemon. Arrange the rest in the pan. Drizzle the rest of the honey mixture all over the pan

7. spread the orange marmalade on the top and sides of the chicken.

8. Bake at 425 for an hour & a half or until the juices run clean and the proper temperature is reached.

9. Serve with the vegetables from the pan now covered in chicken grease.

We had dinner at 8:30, not so bad actually.

Chicken Parmesan - Mind the Broiler

Chicken parmesan is not and never will be my signature dish. I've made it twice and both times failed. Tonight the result was edible but...

So the broiler is a dangerous tool. If you set it on HI for 8 minutes but don't watch it because you're still making the rest of the dinner so that everything is ready together you're in trouble. The broiler can strike its firey arms at any moment.

I thought it was going to work this time...

The chicken was not actually that bad despite the crispy charred crust. But it wasn't chicken parmesan...it was just chicken with pasta and sauce and a little breading on the bottom. It had little to no flavor but luckily the sauce was delicious and there was plenty of extra. There was no cheese to speak of--this is probably the healthiest "chicken parmesan" ever due to the lack of cheese and breading.

But until the broiler mistake, the recipe was actually turning out well. The panko, parmesan and spices stuck to the chicken. The crust browned golden in the hot pan with a little bit of olive oil. The recipe was perfect and then...the cheese caught on fire during the broiling process. Sure I'll try it again...but sadly not soon.

Poached Chicken

Everyone is always saying that poached chicken is the quickest and easiest way to make up a bunch of chicken to use in recipes later in the week. I've never really tried it. I buy chicken pieces and then find that I can't think of anything creative to make with them. Since Joey isn't a huge fan of chicken this is even more complicated.

But last week, I had some of that leftover roasted chicken on sandwiches with mustard for lunch and it was fantastic. The chicken was so much more filling than sandwich meat and overall a much better value. So this week, I defrosted some chicken thighs from the freezer deciding whether to make braised chicken or poached chicken. I ultimately decided to go with poached and then we wouldn't have it for dinner--I would just have it for lunch. And now I agree with "everyone" in saying that poaching chicken is quick, easy and cheap and yields pretty flavorful chicken if you know how to do it right.

Poached Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs, thighs take slightly longer to cook)

2 tsp dried mixed herbs, I used herbs de Provence which is my favorite mix

1 bay leaf

2 cans broth, I used vegetable because I have a surplus of it

1. In a heavy bottomed pan place chicken in one layer on the bottom. Add herbs and bay leaf and cover with broth (chicken should be just covered so depending on your pot size you may get away with less broth).

2. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to very low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is firm to touch and no longer pink inside. Let cool in the broth and then slice or shred for use in your favorite chicken recipes.

Crisp-Skinned Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes

Last weekend my parents came over to do a little work around the house and I promised to provide dinner. At first I was thinking of grilling, but the weather has been unusually cold here (yes 40's and 50's is cold, don't even mention it) and going outside to do any grilling seemed just silly. I just made a roast beef for Christmas and although it was well received I didn't want to make the same thing twice. Lasagna was too hands on--I might be needed to help out with the work around the house. Finally I decided on roast chicken. I recalled an article in one of my recent magazines about how to make roast chicken several ways. I browsed through my magazines and found just the ticket-- Crisp Skinned Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes. In order to make it a full meal, I also roasted carrots along side the chicken.

I basically followed Martha's recipe except that I added a cut lemon to the cavity of the chicken to help add a little flavor other than rosemary. The result was a succulent, moist and flavorful chicken with a very crispy skin on the top of the bird (that's the important part right?). Also the potatoes weren't as crispy as I expected. This could be because I used a 10x12 ceramic lasagna pan instead of a roasting pan because that is what I have. I could have I think used a regular sheet pan with edges and that may have worked better. The only problem with roasting carrots is timing it with the doneness of the chicken. For me, the chicken took slightly longer than Martha guessed and the carrots finished cooking early...but it all worked out in the end.

Beer Braised Chicken

Whenever I hear the word "braised" I think "cooking for a long time." This dish, however was a snap to prepare and yielded a delicious broth and a very satisfying and quick one-pot meal.

I altered the recipe a bit in the final 15 minutes of cooking by adding an additional 12oz of beer to help submerge the potatoes and chicken fully. If I were to do it again, I would double all the sauce ingredients so that the flavors are still all there but there is extra sauce.

Ingredients
From the Food Network Magazine

* 1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (honestly I don't think this was necessary
* 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)
* Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
* All-purpose flour, for dredging
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (preferably brown ale) - I used No. 21 Brand Amber Ale
* 1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
* 1/2 pound small red-skinned new potatoes, halved - I used 2 pounds because I love potatoes and didn't want to serve anything else
* 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard or dijon
* 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
* 4 sprigs fresh thyme
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off the excess. Add the olive oil to the drippings in the pot. Add the chicken in batches and cook over medium-high heat until golden on the bottom, 6 to 7 minutes, then flip and sear the other side, about 1 minute.

Add the beer, onions, potatoes, mustard, sugar, thyme and 1 cup water to the pot and stir, making sure the chicken is fully submerged. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Discard the thyme and stir in the bacon and parsley.

Curried Chicken Salad

We had some leftover chicken after I made the beast on Sunday and I had a mind to make my favorite curried chicken salad. I didn't want just any chicken salad though, I wanted it to be like the kind they serve here. And so of course, I scoured the internet until I found what I was looking for.

This salad was delicious, full of flavors and not to dry, it was the perfect lunch and I will make it again.



Curried Chicken Salad
adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients
3/4 lb shredded chicken, cooked
1/4 c mayo
3 heaping T plain yogurt
2 1/2 t curry powder
1/2 lime
1/2 t honey
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 shallot (I used a shallot but was planning to use green onions, which I even bought, and then forgot)
1 mango, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 c red grapes, halved
1/4 c salted cashews, coarsely chopped

1. Whisk together all ingredients except for the chicken. Add chicken and coat with dressing. Serve with cucumbers. (I also put mine in a pita because I had one)

Whole Roasted Chicken Dinner

There was a great chicken sale at the market and so I was moved to try and attempt roasting a whole chicken. I have heard that this method is not worth the time and you can get the same effect from chicken pieces, however, it isn't really that expensive so it seems worth it. However, after working with 6 pounds of raw chicken, drying it off, realizing that this is the same weight as small babies, I must admit I was a tiny bit grossed out by the endeavor. The worst part is reaching in the cavity. The second worst part is trying to tie up the legs.

The best part is the smell of herb roasted chicken, the amazing flavor, and of course, the presentation. I mean this chicken is pretty much the only one you'll have to make again. The flavors were there, the skin was crispy and it could feed your family with a few hand-picked sides.

I sort of crammed the oven with other dishes, but if you're good at using the stove to make great sides, more power to you!

I roasted carrots, potatoes, and asparagus to go along with the chicken and finished it off with those delicious molten chocolate cakes I've been raving about. And this, is a dinner to remember. Something to impress that doesn't really consume your day but looks like it did.

I made Martha's Perfect Roasted Chicken and pretty much followed it to the T except that I didn't make the gravy, instead I served the onions alongside the chicken and they added a delicious layer and flavor.

Since I didn't do anything special with the rest of the dishes, or change the chicken recipe at all...I'll just give you a timeline of how to pull this off yourself. Dinner's at 7:30.

5:00 PM - Take the chicken out of the fridge and set it on a plate
Meanwhile cut up potatoes (bite sized pieces), carrots (sticks), asparagus (break off thick stems), onions
5:30 PM - Wash chicken and pat dry, set in roasting pan on onions, start roasting! (5:45)
6:30 PM - Put potatoes in the oven (use a small casserole so that you can fit the carrots and asparagus in later)
7:00 PM - Put the carrots in the oven
7:10 PM - Put the asparagus in the oven
7:15 PM - Take the chicken out of the oven and check the temperature--I threw my chicken back in for 10 minutes, but yours may be ready!
7:30 PM - Take out all the vegetables
7:35 PM - Serve, family style!